title: [Role of community pharmacist in the management of patients in ophthalmology].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the role of community pharmacists in ophthalmology, to evaluate the frequency of giving patients advice, and to report their difficulties in daily practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous questionnaire consisting of 13 questions was sent to 620 community pharmacists of Burgundy (France). Pharmacists were asked about their ophthalmic products, their ophthalmic activity in giving patients advice on ocular symptoms, and patients' expectations. For analysis, community pharmacies were separated into three groups: pharmacies in rural areas (under 2000 inhabitants), pharmacies in an urban zone with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, and pharmacies in an urban zone with more than 10,000 inhabitants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 46.9%. Ophthalmic products were mainly glasses for presbyopia (84.5%), eye care hygiene products (76.0%), and contact lens solutions (55.3%). Ophthalmic vitamin supplements were sold by 36.8% of pharmacists, mainly in urban areas. On average, the pharmacist was consulted for ocular problems seven times a week. Acute benign symptoms were most frequent. Advice on prescriptions came next. Then, information on contact lenses and chronic ocular disease were given (cataract, glaucoma, visual acuity loss, age-related maculopathy). Finally, the pharmacist either sold the patient an ocular treatment or oriented the patient to an ophthalmologist when needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pharmacist and his staff are active players in providing advice on ocular diseases and taking care of patients. Moreover, pharmacists have to manage ocular therapeutics, urgent symptoms, and chronic diseases. However, in our study, 46.0% of pharmacists felt confident with their knowledge on ophthalmology, 36.4% did not give their opinion, and 7.0% were uncomfortable with some questions. Most community pharmacists mentioned a lack of continuing education from pharmaceutical companies and postgraduate education on ocular diseases and treatment, mainly for age-related maculopathy.
authors.affiliation: Service d'ophtalmologie, hôpital général, CHU de Dijon, 3, rue Faubourg-Raines, BP 1519, 21033 Dijon, France.
authors.forename: M-P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Delolme
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Law-Ki
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Belon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Creuzot-Garcher
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bron
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000145:classification; D003253:Consultants; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004513:Education, Pharmacy, Continuing; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D009885:Ophthalmology; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010595:Pharmacists; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012423:Rural Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D014815:Vitamins
chemical_list: D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D014815:Vitamins